Overwintering on brood and a half

[enrico]

Still don't follow.... Or is it just a pedantic comment!

 

[donaldb7340]

Thanks for all the answers- I have nationals and have brood box on bottom with super on top to make brood and a half.

Queen still laying well but most stores are in the top super which is packed. The bottom brood box is not too full of stores as mostly brood and pollen.

Hoping when I remove the supers the bees will continue to fill the brood and a half and get through winter on the stores available.

 

[oliver90owner]

Enrico,

If one leaves on the Q/E until the stores are full before removing ready for the winter, it will be wintering on a single brood and a super of honey, not a deep with brood and a shallow with brood as well.

What might happen in the spring is up to the beek; it might soon be brood and a half if they leave it as that or a single brood (after about three weeks, maybe) if they re-insert the Q/E.

It might even be a super of honey parked under a single brood, but certainly not a brood and a half if there is no chance of brood being present.

RAB

 

[Finman]

Ok......why? Enlighten me please! I'm not too proud to say I haven't a clue what you mean!
E

I have never met a person. Whose ego depends on site of excluder.

(oh dear)

 

[enrico]

Enrico,

If one leaves on the Q/E until the stores are full before removing ready for the winter, it will be wintering on a single brood and a super of honey, not a deep with brood and a shallow with brood as well.

What might happen in the spring is up to the beek; it might soon be brood and a half if they leave it as that or a single brood (after about three weeks, maybe) if they re-insert the Q/E.

It might even be a super of honey parked under a single brood, but certainly not a brood and a half if there is no chance of brood being present.

RAB

Oh I see, that sounds fair, thanks RAB as for finman........get lost!
E

 

[Finman]

for finman........get lost!
E

I'm not too proud to say I haven't a clue what you mean!

 

[richardbees]

Donald

but most stores are in the top super which is packed. The bottom brood box is not too full

that's a bit ambiguous..i.e. where is your queen excluder (QE) ?

I would suggest that next time you inspect, you put the QE on top of the brood box (BB) underneath all the supers....obviously after making sure the Q is in the BB!

You'll only have a limited number of bees to go through the winter and they need to be in a compacted space surrounded by food.

I think a single BB provides this = and have never lost an overwintering colony in 23 years....

 

[For want of a better word]

If you run a brood box with a short brood box ( same size as a normal super) above it,,, far easier to check queen is present if you see eggs... no need to lift heavy brood box full of frames stores and brood... also if you keep swarmy bees swarm queen cells are usually on the bottom of the upper short brood box.

Grandad used to run all brood box sized boxes in his 10 frame WBCs and as far as I can remember did not use a queen excluder... probably overwintered ( and the winters were really harsh back then !) on double boxes.

Not if any of that makes one iota of difference to the modern beekeepereres and beeminderers!!!

 

[richardbees]

a short brood box

is that a West Country thing? - as I've never heard that description before

 

[For want of a better word]

a short brood box

is that a West Country thing? - as I've never heard that description before

Well has to be said you can get a DEEP brood box !


(14 X 12.... quite why I have no idea!... may as well use Langstroths!!!)

 

[user 6228]

.
First thing is, that the colony must be quite big that it beeds 1.5 boxes.

If hives has 5-7 boxes ín summer, it perhaps needs, but if iot has only 4 boxes, it surely need not.

The bee cluster is same size as the last brood cycle before winter feeding.
If frood frames are 8, one box is enough, It frames are 12, it needs second box.

Of course you may put brood and half, but it may have vain space and bees do better in a smaller room.

Our first rule in wintering is to reduce hive space to minimum.
It makes that interrior is warm and it keeps the hive dry.
If there much space, condensation happens inside the hive more or less.

It is better that dew point is out of hive.

.

why must the dew point be out of the hive? Give me something with a proper experimental basis, you know the sort of thing with proper controls.

 

[richardbees]

If there much space, condensation happens inside the hive more or less

.....not if you put matchsticks underneath the corners of the crown board

problem solved!

 

[Finman]

If there much space, condensation happens inside the hive more or less

.....not if you put matchsticks underneath the corners of the crown board

problem solved!

Yes, and winterfood wasted. Too much ventilation.
Like this summer has been very warm. In my 3 frames mating nucs I use only finger size entrance. YOu use even in nucs mesh floor and you have big difficultien to build up the nucs.

My queen mated a month ago, and now my 3 frames mating nucs have 10 frames and a box full of brood.

How I did it? Not adding ventilation. Warm insultated hives and a proper ventilation.

It is same in wintering: use your branes and not "regular dad to son formulas".
.
We have such climate here that we must understand insulation, condensation, dewpoint, ventilation. It has bee talked so much after first energy crisis 1975 and then, after mould house apperaring.

Don't even try on me....You have not winter there.

.

 

[Finman]

why must the dew point be out of the hive? Give me something with a proper experimental basis, you know the sort of thing with proper controls.

You are spamming now. Sorry.

 

[oliver90owner]

Well has to be said you can get a DEEP brood box !

That is exactly what they are called - NOT 14 x 12. If you don't yet know what which National box is, look it up and stop misinforming all the new beeks reading the forum. Deep boxes take deep frames.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well has to be said you can get a DEEP brood box !

That is exactly what they are called - NOT 14 x 12.

'Tis true

(14 X 12.... quite why I have no idea!... may as well use Langstroths!!!)

If National sizes confuse then you could always take a look here

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/lang.html

then you really will be